POTENTIAL IS GREAT, BUT THESE 3 HAVE PRODUCED

One’s a receiver who has a need for speed. When NFL scouts clocked him last week, they used a sun dial.

Another soon-to-be draftee, a blocker, walks with a limp. At airport security, be sure to get ahead of him. The metal plate in his foot will cause a delay.

Our final prospect, also a blocker, answers to the name “Fluke.”

My advice to NFL teams: Draft one of these guys. Better yet, take two. Or three. Others’ potential may be exciting. Performance pays the bills, and today, here, we’re recognizing performance. Sure, we’ll sound like a tire commercial. Reliability. That’s our trio’s lead strength. No surprise, all three have ties to the college game’s leading brand: Bama.

Keenan Allen, Cal receiver

Slow on the clock, fast on the field, Allen missed the final three games of Cal’s 2012 season after damaging the posterior ligament in his knee.

He didn’t run at the NFL Combine two months ago, and when he sprinted 40 yards for scouts last week in his hometown, Greensboro, N.C., the hand-timed clockings (4.71 to 4.75) matched or lagged the combine-timed sprints of a few offensive tackles.

Slow down. Allen should be fast enough, if his knee heals. He caught more passes for Cal than anybody in the school’s history. Was third in career reception yards.

NFL scouts must recall that Allen was the No. 1 target of a quarterback, Zach Maynard, who threw without consistent touch or accuracy.

Safeties and cornerbacks who faced Cal anticipated that when Maynard needed yards, he would target Allen, who also is his brother. Allen, who was recruited by Alabama to play safety, still beat them.

A week ago, when I asked if Allen’s recent 40 would hurt his draft status, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said yes, that Allen had fallen four spots on his board to 44. Give Allen a few months and an NFL quarterback, he’ll go 44 yards for a touchdown.

Barrett Jones, Alabama center

Three months ago, he had foot surgery to repair torn ligaments suffered in the SEC Championship game.

Despite the injury, he played well in the Tide’s rout of Notre Dame in the national title game.

Jones is the chalk. Measured against him for football IQ and versatility, few recent college linemen can match him. In the SEC, he won all-conference honors at right guard as a sophomore, left tackle as junior and then center. Yet he might not be the first or second center drafted. Whoever selects him will get an ornery, sound prospect.

D.J. Fluker, Alabama right tackle

Football sense for the football masses, that. Required to hoist iron at the NFL Combine, Fluker had just raised 225 pounds 21 times in the bench press. Defensive backs beat that number. So did running backs. Meaningless.

You won’t confuse Fluker with the quick tackles who’ll be drafted ahead of him. In the NFL, he’ll play right tackle or guard. He’s neither fast nor pretty.